Hermetically-sealed tin and other containers



May 28, 1929. Q FORWARD 1,715,161

HERMETICALLY SEALED TIN AND OTHER CONTAINERS Filed July 5, 1927 Paella-d May 28, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES FORWARD, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO A; wANDER LIMlTED, OF

- LONDON, ENGLAND, A BRITISH COMPANY.

HERMETICALLY-SEALED TIN AND OTHER CONTAINERS.

Application filed July 5, 1927, Serial No. 203,650, and in Great Britain February 12, 1927.

This invention relates to hermeticallysealed cans'or tins and other containers of the type having a sealing cover whereof a peripheral part remains permanently fixed on the body of the container, and a removable part is cut or torn bodily away in order to afiord access to the contents of thecontainer. This removable part is usually a central part, and the open top of the container is usually closed by a spare lid which fits detachably in an annular peripheral part. .Such containers are usually made of tinned sheet iron and heretofore the cover of the same material has been made as a single stamping; when the centre part in the form of a flat sheet was punctured and cut or torn away a sharp edge, which was frequently jagged, was left projecting inwardly at the inner periphery of the stiff ring left fixed on the body of the container. This sharp edge was not only unsightly but also dangerous, as it was liable to cut a persons hand entered into the container for removing the contents.

This invention has for its main object to obviate these defects and to provide an improved construction of cover for hermetically-sealed containers of the type described.

Accordin to an important feature of the invention t ere is provided ahermeticallysealed container of the type described, wherein the removable part of the cover is composed of aluminium, soft aluminium alloyor other soft metal, in order that any marginal portion having a sharp edge projecting inv wardly beyond the said fixed part can be easily blunted, smoothed down or bent back into a'position such that it will be neither harmful nor unsightly. I

' According to another important feature of 40 the invention, there is provided a hermeticaL ly-sealed container of the type described wherein the cover comprises two distinct parts, whereof one is an annular member (e. g. a ring top in the form of a stamp- 5 ing) permanently fixed on the container, and

a second is a sheet ofaluminium, soft aluminium alloy or other soft metal (e. g. a foil stamping) secured in position on the container (e. g. by the annular member).

A When the end of the body of the container carrying the cover has an outwardly-directed flange-providing a seat forthe cover, according to another feature of the invention, the soft metal sheet aforesaid overlies said flange and is substantially flush with the sameat its on the saidflange,'and a member 13 made of outer periphery, and the said sheet is, further, so soft as to make a fluid tight joint with the annular member and "the flange and thereby obviate the use of a rubber or other gasket in association with the cover.

According to a further feature of the invention, the inner periphery of the annular member aforesaid is formed as a bead, for example by bending upon itself a lip at the inner periphery of the annular member, for the purpose of avoiding a sharp edge and facilitating placing the inner edge of the remainder of the soft metal sheet into such a position that it will be out of sight and not harmful.

One embodiment of the invention is diagrammatically illustrated byway of example in the accompanying drawing, wherein-- Figure 1 is a vertical sectional elevation, parts being broken away, showing the constituent parts of a container according to the invention inprocess of assembly.

, Figure 2 is a perspective view of an assembled hermetically-sealed container according to the invention, partly broken away.

Figure 3-is a vertical sectional elevation,

partly broken away, showing the container after it has been opened and temporarily closed by a spare lid, and

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the container shownin Figure 3.

Like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawing, the body 10 of a cylindrical container made of tinned sheet iron has at its upper open end'an outwardlydirected flange 11 on which is seated the cover. This cover comprises two parts, 12, 13, namely an annular member 12 referred to hereinafter as a ring top that is permanently fixed soft metal, hereinafter referred to as a foil stamping.

The ring top 12 is similar in shape and construction to the stiff shouldered peripheral portion of, the one-piece dished'covers used heretofore from which the central flat portion has been removed, but has at its inner periphery a bead 14 formed by bending upwards upon itself an annular lip left afterthe removal of the central portion. This bead 14 is thus provided at the bottom of an inner vertical friction seat wall 15 serving to receive aspare lid 16 (Figures 3 and 4) as usual for closing the container after it has once been opened.

The foil stamping 13 is of dished formation and of such a size that it can be seated snugly in the open flanged top of the cylinbody 10 as just described, and the ring top 12 is then placed on thefoil stamping, during which operation a vertical peripheral wall 18 of the stamping is pinched against the inner face of the wall of the body of the container by an annular shoulder 19 on the ring top, and the flange 17 on the stamping is overlaid by an outer peripheral flange 20 on the ring top. The flange 20, which is wider than either the flange 13 or the flange 11 is then bent round and under the flange 11 on the body, whereupon these three flanges are spun or rolled tightly against the body of the container, whereby the ring top 12 is permanently fixed on the body. During this last operation the soft metal-flange 17 is bedded against the flanges on the body and ring top, so that a fluid-tight joint is formed without the use of a gasket of rubber or other material.

The container is usually full when being sealed, and the foil stamping is forced upwards under considerable pressure when the two-part cover is being. placed in position, and is liableto rupture if precautions are not taken to prevent it. In the present construc tion the friction seat wall 15 is deeper than usual and not only bears with its rolled edge 14 against the foil 13 and thereby supports the latter against the pressure tending to rupture it, but also affords a friction seat of enlarged area to receive the lid 16. If the lower edge of the wall 15 were not rolled but left sharp, it would be liable to cut the foil stamping under the act-ion of the pressure referred to, and would also be liable to dam age the fingers of a hand inserted into the container when removing the contents therefrom. I

The container thus hermetically sealed can be opened by puncturing the foil stamping at the periphery of the circular aperture in the ring top, and cutting or tearing away the greater part of the foil stamping exposed in the aperture. The resulting sharp-edged margin of the remainder of the foilleft projecting inwards on the container can be readily placed out of sight by forcing it back under the bead 14 on the ring top into a position where it cannot harm a hand entered into the container, as diagrammatically illustrated in Figure 3. After the container has once been opened it can be closed and opened from time to time by using the spare lid 16 in the usual manner.

The container can be readily manufactured at a low cost and has the great advantage that it can be opened more readily than when having a cover made up of a harder metal, and when opened, any marginal portion of the ruptured metal, can be easily upset or placed where it will be out of sight and not liable to hurt a hand entered into the container.

' Various modifications may bemade in the details of construction described above without departing from the invention.

I claim:

'1. A hermetically-sealed sheet-metal container comprising in combination a body-portion having an outwardly-directed flange at one end, and a sealing cover comprising a foil stamping in the form of a soft metal sheet seated on said flange, and a ring top having an outer peripheral flange that is seated on the marginal portion of said sheet and extends outwardly beyond the edge of the lat-- ter, which flanges with the marginal portion of the foil stamping between them are bent inwardly in the form of a bead lying against the body of thecontainenthe inner periphery of which ring top constitutes an upstand-- ing friction seat wall whereof the lower marginal portion bears against and provides a support for the foil stamping and is so shaped as to present a smooth blunt surface to the foil stamping and to a hand or finger inserted through the annular member into the body of the container, in order to support the foil stamping against pressure-from inside the. container withoutrisk of rupturing it and to eliminate the possibility of injuring a hand or finger when inserted into the annular member aforesaid.

2. A hermetically-sealed sheet-metal container comprising in combination a body-portion having an outwardly-directed flange at one end, and a sealing cover comprising a foil.

stamping in the form of a soft metal sheet seated on said flange, and a ring top having an upstanding inner friction seat Wall and an outer peripheral flange that is seated on the marginal portion of said sheet and extends outwardly beyond the edge of the latter, which flanges with the marginal portion of the foil stamping between them are bent inwardly in the form of a bead lying against the body of the container, the free marginal portion of which friction seat wall is furnished with a head by rolling the bottom of said wall, which head bears against the foil stamping in its closing position.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

CHARLES FORWARD. 

